The Teamsters unveiled a new national 2020 presidential election survey Thursday that will allow members to give the union input on the issues that matter most to them so that the Teamsters in turn can get answers from contenders that it can then share with the membership.

By going to www.teamsters2020.com, Teamsters can access an online version of the survey. Locals will also make hard copies of the survey available to members as well. It is all part of the union’s effort to find out what is on the mind of members. Using that information, the union will then query presidential candidates interested in receiving the Teamsters’ endorsement.

“We’ve got to shape the debate about what this election is about,” Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa told attendees at the 2019 Teamster political coordinators meeting, where the survey debuted. “Candidates are going to come to us and ask for our support. But at this time, I’m not hearing what we should be hearing on the issues.”

Over the next two months, the Teamsters will gather opinions from members, which in turn the union will use in its ongoing conversations with the presidential candidates. Those responses, as well as candidate video interviews and participation in pro-union activities, will all influence the Teamsters’ endorsement decision.

Candidates seeking the blessing and support of the Teamsters must understand the importance unions play in the working lives of the American worker and the economy as a whole. Supporting organizing efforts and standing for fairness and respect in the workplace is essential.

The survey also serves as the start of the Teamsters member engagement and education effort for the 2020 election.  Would-be voters must educate themselves. What are the candidates’ views of the future for working Americans? And how will they affect not only workers today, but their children and grandchildren who will need to support themselves in the decades to come? That is something the Teamsters plan on helping its membership discern in the months ahead.

Workers deserve a president who is a partner that realizes that it is not just jobs, but the quality and dependability of those jobs that matters. U.S. leadership should realize that those who worked hard and played by the rules should have the ability to provide a comfortable life for their loved ones, and retire with the benefits they were promised.

That needs to be the goal of anyone seeking to be president.

 

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